Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing

Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Icing is a recipe is from American Lifestyle magazine, a Prudential real estate publication which arrived in the mail “Compliments of Dianne de Witt”. She’s a realtor in Connecticut who also happens to be my aunt. While I’m certain she’d love to help us with our real estate needs, I think she sent the magazine to show what a neat marketing vehicle it was for Prudential and because it had cookie recipes. I rarely throw away mail with recipes on it….at least not right away. And in this case, one of the recipes was on a tear out card with the realtor’s info so that many years from now when I’m baking and thinking about moving, the little recipe card will fall out and I’ll remember to call Dianne with Prudential. That is of course, if the cookies are good.

Okay, so I guess this card will stay in my file. The cookies were terrific! They were very cakey, but that’s what I’ve come to expect from pumpkin cookies and I liked it. The best part was the maple icing. You drizzle it on so the cookies look pretty, but they get a good deal of flavor from the fake maple which I like to smugly call fenugreek since the smell reminds me of the fenugreek tea I drank long ago and since fake maple is nothing like real maple. It’s good in its own fake maple way, though. Definitely good on these pumpkin cookies.

Also, the recipe American Lifestyle used was adapted from another source — 400 Sensational Cookies. Sounds like a good book, but I think it would be really fun if realtors from around the country submitted their own recipes for the next issue.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick foil. You can also use regular foil lined with a thin layer of cooking spray.

Mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add pumpkin and stir until well combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed or using a wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture from step 2, beating just until blended. Fold in pecans.

Drop tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart on to cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

Make Icing:: In a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, cream and maple flavoring. Using a small whisk or a fork, blend until icing is smooth and thin enough to drizzle from a fork. Add more cream as needed to achieve the right consistency. Spoon icing over cooled cookies.

Comments

I had half a can of leftover (unsweetened) sweet potatoes, and I didn’t know what to do with them, so I decided to make a half batch of these cookies to use it up. I just substituted the sweet potatoes for the pumpkin, and the only other change I made was to use real maple syrup in the icing (I didn’t have any maple flavoring). They were good! I was surprised at the texture, even though you mentioned they were cakey. Almost like eating bite-sized cupcakes or muffins. They looked pretty too. I am looking forward to making them again using pumpkin.

These look delicious! Nice that your Aunt sent that publication to you.
I almost made pumpkin cookies the day I made the pumpkin muffins. I have an old recipe that is a nice change of pace from my usual stanbys.

Those do look really good and seasonal, too. I’ve never tried fake maple (fenugreek, LOL) and have some real maple syrup that I’d like to use, so if I make them, I’d likely look for a different maple glaze recipe.

Normally I stick with chocolate recipes, as that’s all my kiddos seem to like, but I’m hosting book club soon, and I like to try out new recipes on the ladies.